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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 365
Location: NC | I was wondering how everyone here found out about Ovations? I saw them in a magazine and I was intrigued by the design. I went to a local shop to play one and was hooked.
I have always liked what is not ordinary and what others don't find as in style.
I was drawn to the craftsmanship once I got to know the guitar better and would probably be hard pressed to find a replacement.
:D |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | I was frustrated with my playing, acoustic, electric, bass. So, after playing out one night, the next day loaded up some "Stuff" and went in search of one guitar. Traded for a Legend. I knew Ovations existed, but really did not know anything about them. The guy I traded with said it was one of the best sounding guitars he had. He has over 900 guitars in his shop. So I traded. Worried all the way home that I had messed up, but now love my "O".
In trying to find out about my Legend, I stumbled on the OFC. The rest is history. I now have 4 O's. So much for "one guitar" |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I guess I was impressed with the sales catalog. It had alot of information about the science behind the design. This was way back in 1970. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Ovation found me!
My friend Ken, in High School, was an Ovation Nut. He would've fit in with this bunch real well.
He showed me my first Balladeers and a 12 string that you could actually play! He talked me into buying my 1112 that I have today.
They were different and that was OK. The majority of wood boxes floating around in my price range were scary classicals with steel strings.
I was married, broke and no longer playing when the Elites hit he world.
Then last year I found this place and GAS! |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | I'm an Engineer. I've always loved music but could not afford a guitar while growing up. As an adult, my daughter asked to learn guitar. I was excited and shopped for a guitar for each of us. I love innovation stories like the one surrounding the Ovation Guitars so I checked into them. I bought my daughter a Balladeer and I bought a used Adamas for myself. I now own 5 O's. Their unusual design is still unique and their sound is superlative. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | stellarjim,
Yes you have five Ovations. But from the look of your list you have a nice selection of flavors. You lack only one item. You....need....a....uke. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Television. January 1969.
And Brad, I still have the 1970 catalog that I got way back when. Did you know that in 1969 Mechanics Illustrated did an article on Ovations? |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Glen Campbell Show on TV, 1969, and Jim Peterik of the Ides of March playing one in concert in 1972. That SOLD me on them.
Roger |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | My local guitar shop in '74. Had a nice one in my price range that sounded good and the fact that it was also an electric was just icing on the cake.
Just sold it to my good buddy about 6 months ago and have started him on a righteous path of GAS!
Stephen |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | In 1969, I was looking for a decent guitar. The couple of O's that I saw were interesting but, since I didn't play one, didn't see any reason to buy one. Went to a Martin D-18 12-str. In 1980, Marty of Marty's Guitar (Portland, OR) had just brought back from NAMM a Custom Legend slothead 12-str (dark sunburst.) At first, loved the guitar but put aback by the appearance...thought it needed a Mexican sombrero with silver dripping down - haunted by it, went back to check it out the next three days - then took it home. Now, dark sunburst with abalone is my favorite. Course it helped that Marty only charged me $625 for it ;) |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3664
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | I decided to learn to play guitar again (with a bit more commitment & consistency this time)about 6 years ago. I had been buying and selling on Fleabay in other merchandise, and thought, "Hey TwitMeister, find a good deal on a guitar!" So, combining my spirit of free enterprise and tireless bargainhunting, I found an old parlor guitar dirt-cheap, fortuitously, close to my abode. I parlayed this critter to a guy in Michigan, as I recall, and set out to find another instrument- this time a POS classical that was utterly unplayable when it arrived. Well, I "had my way" with it and massaged it into a fairly tolerable instrument.
OK,OK....I'm getting to it. So, taking some amount of positive expectancies from these reasonably successful forays into "shadetree luthiery", I returned to the frenetic auction scene, and located- you guessed it- an old Ovation 1111 Balladeer with a busted peghead. Now, I had been brainwashed and indoctrinated, in my youth, in the usual manner, i.e., "Why should I buy a guitar that's going to sound exactly the same in 25 years?!". Poppycock, *I* wasn't the same after those 25 years, either. I bought the poor beast, patched it back together, and fell madly in love with its sound and ease of play. It made me want to play for the first time in my life! The fact it is built like a brick outhouse does nothing to detract from its inherent beauty and charm.
Now, as to how I stumbled onto THIS place- I suppose some repression is a good thing, time-to-time. Actually, I honestly have forgotten- must be the vicissitudes of Age & Gravity. I'm thankful & grateful, just organic.
So, some 20-odd "O"-critters have come & gone from The "O"rphange- literally across North America and parts of Europe, but Ol' Faithful is still holdin' down the fort. "May it ever be so humble"...... |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | 1975. San Diego Civic Auditorium. 2nd row. Dave Mason and Jim Krueger opening the show on stools with a 12 and a 6. |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 4413
| The neck.
Pick one up and you'll never put it down. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | A good friend and his band, The Wright Brothers Overland Stage Company, from the '70's played them and I always wanted to get one. When I got rich and famous (ha), I needed to get a guitar for my son that he could use as a paddle for all those times he found himself up the creek. Bought a Legend on Ebay and fell in love. I was only rich and famous for 1 night so I have only been able to get one more guitar, my Custom Legend. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I thought that they looked cool when I saw Alex Lifeson of "Rush" using them when I was a kid. He uses an Ovation classical for the intro of "the trees" and he's used other Ovation thoughout the years. One of Alex's O's are featured in their video for "mystic rhythms". They play it on VH1 Classic every now and then. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | It's just TOO long of a story . . . . . . . wait for the book . . . . ;) |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 327
Location: Houston, TX | A guy that worked for Kaman Music Corp gave my next door neighbor's son a guitar and amp when he got interested in learning how to play.
Always remembered that, and checked out Ovations first when I wanted to learn. |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | ...easy... I needed a 12-string that could be amplified... a friend had a Custom Legend-12 so, I went to GC looking for a Legend... no luck, but there was a Balladeer on the wall (really high up) that the GC Sales Geek didn't even know they had... took it down....took it home... got GAS! |
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Joined:
October 2004
Posts: 256
Location: chicago | had a poster on my wall circa 1978 w/ larry coryell doing a seven fret strectch an ad for ovation. playing cl.he had an inst.album solo acoustic stuff live at montreux jazz fest.loved the way he played and that sound.after that, hooked! |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 795
Location: Texas | Glen Campbell, John McLaughlin, Jim Croce, Kenny Loggins, Al Di Meola, Tony Rice, etc.
Blind Lemon Parker
www.sergiolara.com |
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Joined:
August 2004
Posts: 79
Location: Minnesota | About 25 years ago I tried a friend's Deacon and absolutely loved it! He offered to sell it to me so I bought it. 5 yrs later I found myself in need of money, so I traded it to a friend for a Conn 6 string acoustic and some cash!(stupid I know!) He promised to sell it back to me for $300.00 anytime I wanted, but when I was financially stable again and asked for it back he refused. When I started dealing on fleabay and seeing O's I made up my mind to find one to replace it. I'm happy to say I finally found one and am also working on a BW re-finnish project as well! I own an Applause classical, but don't own any O acoustics YET! Hoping to change that when I become indepenently wealthy someday. Love to try the 2005 collectors sometime. Can't see parting with any of my many electrics to afford one though :(
Constant GAS :) :cool: |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| ..when i was in high-school i saw some skinny kid from arkansas playing one...
steve |
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Joined:
August 2004
Posts: 604
Location: Tampa, FL | 32 years ago, preparing to depart for 3 months under the North Atlantic, I bought a used Balladeer from a departing shipmate. The winter seas in that area are not kind and I had a close up and personal education in the difference between destruction resistant and destruction proof. Poor thing did a wonderfully graceful leap from a top bunk to a less graceful landing on the deck. In modern times I would not hesitate to send it to the mothership for a looksee. Back then, however, I didn't even know they were made in CT (I was stationed in New London, CT). I took it to a luthier in Bridgeport that was making awesome woodbox nylon classical instruments. He gave it a cursoy glance, sniffed a couple of times and told me, "Sure, I could replace the top. But why?" :rolleyes:
I guess somethings change and I guess somethings don't. I do wonder though, why guitars often get referred to as an axe. Seems to me my Ovation has more of a paddle look. Maybe a spoon. Think I'm going to have work on my macho some. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | For 26 years I had one guitar, a Guild. I had the opportunity to play a friend's 1717 Legend and was surprised that the acoustic sound was better than the Guild. I then sold the Guild and bought my first Ovation. I now have four of them. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | One day this funny shaped guitar was in the house..... |
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How did you find Ovation?
